<https://www.rte.ie/author/976035-mary-mcgill/> By Mary McGill
NUI Galway
Opinion: tales of romance hold huge appeal, but hunger for content without
considering the cost can have unintended and harmful consequences
It had all the hallmarks of a classic romantic comedy. After a seat-switch
onboard a plane, an intrepid matchmaker and her partner watch in glee as the
attractive strangers in front of them - who they have inadvertently set-up -
seem to really hit it off. The plane lands and the strangers appear to leave
the baggage hall
together.
If this was the cinema, the audience might cheer, but it isn't. The
matchmaker has been tweeting and snapping updates to a rapidly growing,
deeply invested online audience. Over the next few days, #PlaneBae
<https://www.vox.com/2018/7/6/17537656/plane-bae-privacy-explained> , as it
becomes known, takes a much darker turn, raising timely questions about
privacy and acceptable behaviour in the digital age.
When romance in the air takes a darker turn
Researchers working online will tell you that developing ethical frameworks
to deal with the demands of such a vast and fast evolving terrain is a
constant work in progress. But work in progress is always rooted in best
practice. In research terms, that means studies involving human subjects
must secure informed consent, where the individual is given all the
information they need to understand what the study asks of them before
agreeing or declining to take part. This standard is enshrined to protect
the rights of the individual, including the right to privacy.
#PlaneBae highlights how the Internet age is changing the way we humans
navigate space and time. It also shows how norms and etiquette are in flux
as we figure out the best way to deal with a rapidly changing world.
Technology allowed tens of thousands of people not just to listen or read
about these strangers on a plane, but to see (even though their faces were
hidden) and to decipher, based on triangulating the information provided,
who these individuals were.
There is nothing warm and fuzzy about her attempt to retain her anonymity in
the face of trolls hellbent on "outing" her
Neither of the people at the centre of #PlaneBae had the opportunity to
consent to their lives being turned into content in this way. While the man
concerned seemed to embrace <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWdToig47kI>
being identified, the woman did not
<http://uk.businessinsider.com/planebae-saga-woman-privacy-anonymity-2018-7?
r=US&IR=T> . What this illustrates is a critical point: our expectations of
privacy are often subjective. Hence, you cannot assume that your
interpretation of privacy will be the same as everyone else's, a point which
further underscores the importance of consent. It should also move us to be
careful about what we post and share online, both out of respect for
ourselves (our notion of privacy may change over time) and out of respect
for others.
Tales of romance hold huge appeal but hunger for content without considering
the cost can have unintended and harmful consequences. There is nothing
remotely romantic about the harassment the young woman at the centre of
#PlaneBae has been subjected to. There is nothing warm and fuzzy about her
attempt to retain her anonymity in the face of trolls hellbent on "outing"
her. Her statement
<http://uk.businessinsider.com/planebae-saga-woman-privacy-anonymity-2018-7?
r=US&IR=T> on the matter should give us pause for thought, particularly the
following: "I did not ask for and do not seek attention. #PlaneBae is not a
romance - it is a digital-age cautionary tale about privacy, identity,
ethics and consent."
Words to keep in mind as we continue to grapple with this brave new world.
